Please note: We’re currently running very low on Reader’s Feature articles for this weekend and beyond, so if you’ve ever wanted to write one but never got around to it now would be a great time. They can be on any game-related subject you want, although do try and avoid topics that have been covered recently if you can.

Arkham City 2
I have to say I’m a bit disappointed by the early word from Batman: Arkham Knight. The slowdown is a worry to me, as that means there’s no guarantee that the game will look like that when it’s finished and that they may have to simplify things to keep the frame rate up – like they did with Dark Souls II.

I’m also very disappointed to find that there’s no civilians or ordinary people just wandering around, it’s all just bad guys like Arkham City. In fact it just sounds like Arkham City with a car as far as I can work out, so yet another next gen game that feels like a last gen game.

I’m also not convinced this secret about detective mode won’t just be something to do with the ‘fear takedown’, maybe something like the EA Batman Begins game where you’re scaring enemies so they start to panic. I highly doubt they’re suddenly going to throw proper detective puzzles in there like it’s Professor Layton.Pushtin

Not the game we deserve
Very interesting interview with the Rocksteady guy GC, as usual. Although I think that guy could easily get a job at Microsoft, the way he was squirming to avoid most issues. He obviously tried to downplay the lack of civilians as a problem but I think you’re right in emphasising it. This isn’t the ultimate Batman game at all, in fact it doesn’t sound like anything other than Arkham City with better graphics and the Batmobile.

Now obvious that’s still a very good thing, but it’s not much of a leap from the current gen and not what I was hoping for. By creating this artificial situation where it’s just gang members roaming the street that’s just not the kind of situation that Batman normally works in.

They had civilians and bank heists and all the rest in Spider-Man 2 a decade ago, so I don’t see why they couldn’t have had it in this. In fact I think I’d rather Gotham was normal, and maybe Batman had to do stuff before sunrise and so on, than I would the Batmobile.Purple Ranger

Adults only
Slightly disappointing to find out that Batman: Arkham Knight has the same basic set-up as the last game, I was hoping for more. This just makes me think the idea of a Telltale game is an even better idea. All the detective stuff you were talking about in your interview would work a lot better and we’d get to see a side of the character that an action game is never really going to show.

I bet it’ll never happen, although I’m not sure why. Warner has plenty of other kids-orientated Batman games like Lego and that Scribblenauts spin-off so why not a more adult one as well? I don’t mean in terms of gore or anything but an actual proper story that’s not all about punching bad guys. I’m sure Arkham Knight will be a fine game but my interest levels are already slipping.Gadfly

Johnny No-mates
After all these years I can’t believe we’re actually looking at a situation where Nintendo really go bust. I know they’ve got tons of money but their investors clear hate them, gamers have turned against them, publisher have always hated… I don’t know how many friends they have left really.

And Mario Kart 8 still isn’t out until May? How could it possibly take so long to make a game that doesn’t seem to be all that different from the last one. To think that Mario Kart Wii was the best-selling game of all time and its sequel is going to be lucky to stay in the top 10 for more than a week. Crazy how things change.Franky

Fading away
That Transformers story made rather depressing reading as I don’t hold out much hope for any of those games. Although I guess you can’t blame them for trying as Fall Of Cybertron was basically my dream Transformers game – or at least as close as you can get on the last gen – and it didn’t sell that great. So now I guess all we’re going to get are cheapo movie tie-ins.

What intrigues me out of the list though is the Sega coin-op. I had no idea they even made arcade games any more, outside of UFO catchers and the like. Mind you outside of some lone lightgun game in the cinema I don’t know anywhere anymore that would even have an arcade game. Have they done anything interesting since the Dreamcast era?Dentonite

GC: Not really, no. As we mentioned it’s mostly just licensed stuff like Rambo and reverse-home ports such as Sega Rally 3 and GRID. They release about half a dozen new machines a year, but a lot of those are Japanese-only and not of any obvious interest.

Made in Britain
Although I’m glad the UK games industry is getting tax breaks I can’t imagine it’s going to make any difference to the sort of games they produce. If France has had a similar system for years I don’t remember any French-looking games coming out lately and that definitely includes Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls.

The unfortunate truth is that America is the biggest games market and so everything has to be made to suit them first and foremost. I mean who’d guess Grand Theft Auto was British? Or Crackdown or the Batman games?

The ever-increasing success of Doctor Who proves that an obviously British thing can be a success abroad, and specifically because it doesn’t seem American, but I can’t see any publisher funding something that everyone would know where it’s made. I mean how many games have you played that have anything to do with Canada?Cranston

Weird gamer thing
I’m obviously missing something here but I don’t understand at all why people are upset that Facebook have bought Oculus Rift. Is this some sort of elitist PC thing? Who cares about the company? And I thought Project Morpheus was looking better anyway?

It looks to me like it’s the usual weird gamer thing where one faceless corporation gets labelled as evil and another is painted as some sort of champion of the common man. When in fact they’re just business trying to earn money in whatever way seems easiest to them.

What’s the big deal? And why did they have to actually tell everyone you don’t need to log on to Facebook in order to use it? Did anyone seriously think that was going to happen? Some people are just living in another world…Badgerman

A worthy sequel
I’ve just completed Dark Souls II and my thoughts seem to echo others in feeling that the gameplay changes make for a better game but Drangleic is not as memorable as Lordran. The muted start in comparison to Dark Souls and the ability to warp to bonfires from the off are the reason for this.

Dark Souls throws the Asylum Demon at you straight away. That Dark Souls buzz of overcoming something that seemed impossibly hard is there from the start (this didn’t happen in Dark Souls II until I beat The Pursuer). I’m then whisked off by a massive bird, the Hellkite Dragon swoops in (I literally stood there for a minute thinking you got to be kidding me), Havel, Taurus Beast, Titanite Demon, Capra Demon, and Moonlight Butterfly all arrive quite early on. It was awesome in the proper sense of the word.

Drangleic’s different as there’s no barrier straight away, you have a simple tutorial area then go into Majula, the hub, which has a mournful tune playing and the opportunity to explore a bit more. It seems a wise decision not to put people off from the start but it’s very unexciting in comparison, and for me Dark Souls has one the best beginnings to a game I’ve experienced.

Also, the ability to warp from bonfires straight away in Dark Souls II gave it a bitty feeling with each area feeling like separate levels. Having to explore Lordarn on foot and see how it interconnects gave a connection and cohesiveness to the game world Drangleic is missing.

On the plus side for Dark Souls II the combat is better, it applies the skills of having to read your opponents moves and time yours to even the weakest enemies (I died more in the first five hours of Dark Souls II than I did in Dark Souls). Couple that with dying having a more meaningful penalty (I spent most of Dark Souls hollow) and you have some tense, satisfying combat.

The weapon upgrading is much simpler and better. Also, for me Dark Souls peak was reached at the Ornstien and Smough fight and dropped off after that, whereas Dark Souls II gets better at the end.

Everything though that makes Dark Souls great is present and correct in Dark Souls II and I’m a little sad to have completed it (of course there’s still many things I’ve missed so will keep playing). I know From Software said there would be no downloadable content but this is one of the few occasions I would love to see some.Simundo

Inbox also-rans
How many indie developers does Sony have signed up with PlayStation 4 compared to Xbox One? Is PlayStation 4 leagues ahead?Mr Tickles

GC: Sony is well ahead, but it’s not so much the numbers that are important – an indie can pledge to support a console in an instant – but that that Microsoft are playing catch-up, and lost something like six months thanks to their initial position.

Nail’d on Steam for 79p. Having great fun with it and at that price it’s almost rude not to buy it. Not the deepest game but great to pick up ‘n’ play.fman00

Just for the record I beat The Pursuer last night. After several more unsuccessful attempts I summoned a couple of players and magicked it to death from a safe distance whilst they kept it busy. Not particularly heroic, some would say even cheap but it did the job.Gill C.

Massive thank you to Paul Devlin and GC who passed his message on – you’ve made two ladies very happy indeed! The hard drive arrived safely and will be installed as soon as we have a few moments spare. GC, I’m so glad you have so many decent gamers on here! This helped a bad afternoon become an excellent one. Thanks again and keep up the brilliant work!bouncer0304 (NN ID)

This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was inspired by reader iLike Fat Ladys (gamertag), who asks what video game are you best at?

How good are you at it compared to other people and if it’s a multiplayer game how confident are you that you’ll always come out near the top of the heap when playing? If it’s a single-player game what difficultly level do you play it at and is there anything specific you do to show off within the game? What game, or type of game, are you worst at and does it annoy you that you’re no good or is it more because of a lack of interest?

Do you generally regard yourself as a skilled gamer or are you merely average or below average? If you’re very good do you handicap yourself when playing friends and family – and do you tell them? If you’re not so good does it bother you, and does it limit the types of games you play?